does anyone change batter at a set TIME??
- Thread starter edwardh1
- Start date
- Status
The OEM battery in my 03 4Runner lasted 12 years in Southern California, often in the desert heat. I always completely cover my batteries and trays in Pledge Furniture Polish. The only problem I have doing that is that on the day they die they look absolutely brand new and it's difficult to admit it's time for a new one. I never use any grease or other treatment.
Originally Posted By: E150GT
I replace when they show signs of giving up.
This. I don't have to wait until they're really in danger of leaving me stranded, but if something seems a bit weak, it's fine to consider replacement. My current G37 battery was replaced during a fall season, if I remember correctly, which saved me no end of grief during winter.
I replace when they show signs of giving up.
This. I don't have to wait until they're really in danger of leaving me stranded, but if something seems a bit weak, it's fine to consider replacement. My current G37 battery was replaced during a fall season, if I remember correctly, which saved me no end of grief during winter.
Originally Posted By: Rand
Change batter? I was thinking this was world series topic..
I thought we were talking cookies.
I don't change the battery until I notice a difference in cranking. I've always been able to catch them before they leave me stranded.
Change batter? I was thinking this was world series topic..
I thought we were talking cookies.
I don't change the battery until I notice a difference in cranking. I've always been able to catch them before they leave me stranded.
Changed my OEM out at 10 years & 125k miles. Id run mine til it dies and tests bad. Testing bad=replace
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: Rand
Change batter? I was thinking this was world series topic..
I thought we were talking cookies.
I don't change the battery until I notice a difference in cranking. I've always been able to catch them before they leave me stranded.
I was also thinking more of Pancakes and Waffle batter.
I have an AGM battery that's almost 10 years old. Just get the batter load tested. If it fails the load test, replace it. Most auto parts stores will do it for free or get your own load tester, they're around $20-$30. Don't guess. Know.
Originally Posted By: Rand
Change batter? I was thinking this was world series topic..
I thought we were talking cookies.
I don't change the battery until I notice a difference in cranking. I've always been able to catch them before they leave me stranded.
I was also thinking more of Pancakes and Waffle batter.
I have an AGM battery that's almost 10 years old. Just get the batter load tested. If it fails the load test, replace it. Most auto parts stores will do it for free or get your own load tester, they're around $20-$30. Don't guess. Know.
When my batter starts the car noticeably slower, I'll "swing" into the parts store and get a new one.
Only when they no longer hold a charge. I suppose that means I am willing to put up with a no-start at some point, which I've never really thought of before, so obviously the answer is yes.
Being in an area that experiences both hot and cold seasonal weather (normal temps range from +40C summer, -40C winter [+105F to -40F], although +30C to -15C [+86F to +5F] is what you should expect most of the time for most days) the battery does get a workout here. I started using Optimas after buying a used car with a Yellowtop that lasted six years, with unknown time on it before I bought it. That impressed me enough that it changed my buying habits.
Around these parts no-starts are reasonably common in cold spells in winter, so everyone carries cables. You aren't stranded for long; it can be a problem at some point but then that's the day you either do some charge system maintenance (cleaning cables, mostly) or if it persists, buy a new battery.
I like the Optimas mostly because the practice here is to buy batteries with high Cold Cranking Amp capacity. This means more plates, but also means they are closer together in the fixed case dimensions that fit your vehicle. So the batteries most people buy (wet lead acid) and what I had been buying previously, are more prone to sulphation when built that way versus less expensive "standard" capacity units, and unless you own and use a smart charger with a de-sulphation mode, is one of the more common failure modes.
Cost-wise, there is little real difference. I pay about $C 205 for an Optima ($US 160) versus about $C 120 ($US 93) for a high CCA lead-acid that lasts 4 years in our service. The Optimas have lasted, well, not sure actually. I've yet to kill one of the new ones, four years old, and as I said the first one lasted me six. I also like Optima's two-year no-questions-asked full replacement warranty, versus the pro-rated shorter term conventionals. The downside is a limited catalog of sizes.
Being in an area that experiences both hot and cold seasonal weather (normal temps range from +40C summer, -40C winter [+105F to -40F], although +30C to -15C [+86F to +5F] is what you should expect most of the time for most days) the battery does get a workout here. I started using Optimas after buying a used car with a Yellowtop that lasted six years, with unknown time on it before I bought it. That impressed me enough that it changed my buying habits.
Around these parts no-starts are reasonably common in cold spells in winter, so everyone carries cables. You aren't stranded for long; it can be a problem at some point but then that's the day you either do some charge system maintenance (cleaning cables, mostly) or if it persists, buy a new battery.
I like the Optimas mostly because the practice here is to buy batteries with high Cold Cranking Amp capacity. This means more plates, but also means they are closer together in the fixed case dimensions that fit your vehicle. So the batteries most people buy (wet lead acid) and what I had been buying previously, are more prone to sulphation when built that way versus less expensive "standard" capacity units, and unless you own and use a smart charger with a de-sulphation mode, is one of the more common failure modes.
Cost-wise, there is little real difference. I pay about $C 205 for an Optima ($US 160) versus about $C 120 ($US 93) for a high CCA lead-acid that lasts 4 years in our service. The Optimas have lasted, well, not sure actually. I've yet to kill one of the new ones, four years old, and as I said the first one lasted me six. I also like Optima's two-year no-questions-asked full replacement warranty, versus the pro-rated shorter term conventionals. The downside is a limited catalog of sizes.
Originally Posted By: pbm
Replacing a 3.5 year old battery that shows no sign of problems is silly, IMO.
It is worse than silly.
Replacing a 3.5 year old battery that shows no sign of problems is silly, IMO.
It is worse than silly.
Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
Originally Posted By: pbm
Replacing a 3.5 year old battery that shows no sign of problems is silly, IMO.
It is worse than silly.
Not nearly as silly as you feel when it leaves you stranded. Batteries don’t always show signs the end is near.
Originally Posted By: pbm
Replacing a 3.5 year old battery that shows no sign of problems is silly, IMO.
It is worse than silly.
Not nearly as silly as you feel when it leaves you stranded. Batteries don’t always show signs the end is near.
The original battery in my truck lasted 11 years before finally dying. If I replaced it every 3-4 years, I would've wasted a bunch of money. I carry jumper cables in my cars and I run the batteries till they're dead. My tester said the truck's battery was "marginal" for almost a year before the battery finally gave out completely.
I wait until the sound of the engine starting seems "slower" and then test the battery. Most of the time you get a decent amount of warning before it becomes too weak to start the car. My own experience is that AGM batteries give you MONTHS of this warning while conventional batteries give weeks of warning.
But, for most people, I think replacing the battery on a schedule makes sense. Though, I had my last car long enough to go through a number of batteries. Several lasted three years and several lasted a lot less (Walmart batteries from the 90s). My first AGM (Optima Red Top) lasted six years.
But, for most people, I think replacing the battery on a schedule makes sense. Though, I had my last car long enough to go through a number of batteries. Several lasted three years and several lasted a lot less (Walmart batteries from the 90s). My first AGM (Optima Red Top) lasted six years.
I dunno...if it ain't broke why fix it? My '03 Durango battery just got changed - FOR THE FIRST TIME!!! Yep, that's right, guys, that thang lasted FOURTEEN YEARS.
What you are talking about sounds like the attitude some aircraft folks have - and in that case it proves WRONG. Somebody thought it made sense to tear engines down on aircraft at set intervals, but guess what? Statistics showed that 90% of all engine failures occurred within a very short time after rebuild! So the military tossed that idea down the [censored] and went back to the old saw, "Don't fix it if it ain't broke."
People who decide to toss a perfectly good battery into the recycle bin are wasting resources, good money, and their own time - unless yours ain't so precious as mine, I can't understand what the issue is if you aren't having problems starting the car.
Take it to your neighborhood auto parts store or mechanic and they can tell you in a minute if your battery is any good or not, dude. Or spend a tiny fraction of the cost of a new battery and get a battery tester to use yerself - then you can check it til the cows come home.
What you are talking about sounds like the attitude some aircraft folks have - and in that case it proves WRONG. Somebody thought it made sense to tear engines down on aircraft at set intervals, but guess what? Statistics showed that 90% of all engine failures occurred within a very short time after rebuild! So the military tossed that idea down the [censored] and went back to the old saw, "Don't fix it if it ain't broke."
People who decide to toss a perfectly good battery into the recycle bin are wasting resources, good money, and their own time - unless yours ain't so precious as mine, I can't understand what the issue is if you aren't having problems starting the car.
Take it to your neighborhood auto parts store or mechanic and they can tell you in a minute if your battery is any good or not, dude. Or spend a tiny fraction of the cost of a new battery and get a battery tester to use yerself - then you can check it til the cows come home.
In my commercial applications I replace the starting batteries every 7 years regardless and sell them on craigslist marketed as such and always get a few bucks.
You can make a few dollars when you show the voltage reading and a load test.
non commercial product gets replaced when they test bad.
UD
You can make a few dollars when you show the voltage reading and a load test.
non commercial product gets replaced when they test bad.
UD
Last edited:
Even though they've been making lead acid batteries for over 100 years there's some imprecision to the process and they die on a bell curve. If you get a "good one" it seems silly to chuck it and replace it. Plus some cars are just harder on batteries than others... and you won't know until you lose your first one. Or maybe your first aftermarket one, as OE batteries can go from awful (small for fuel economy) to amazing.
My camry stick shift still allows roll-starting, so I have a backup plan and am running it until the end.
My camry stick shift still allows roll-starting, so I have a backup plan and am running it until the end.
In the aviation world, we perform actual capacity checks on lead acid batteries. The degradation is always predictable. A 40AH battery will make 44AH when new. About 40AH at 1.5 years. And by 2 years it’s below the 35AaH minimum spec.
Automotive batteries are no different. They deteriorate predictably. And a true capacity check will illustrate by just how much. The 3.5 or 4 year rule is accurate. By that time the battery has half it’s original capacity or less.
Automotive batteries are no different. They deteriorate predictably. And a true capacity check will illustrate by just how much. The 3.5 or 4 year rule is accurate. By that time the battery has half it’s original capacity or less.
Last edited:
I replace at 4 years and I always change just before the winter.
Have a great day.
John
Have a great day.
John
Originally Posted By: Starman2112
Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
Originally Posted By: pbm
Replacing a 3.5 year old battery that shows no sign of problems is silly, IMO.
It is worse than silly.
Not nearly as silly as you feel when it leaves you stranded. Batteries don’t always show signs the end is near.
I had a Mopar battery die in my 2 1/2 year old Dodge truck a long time ago. No warning at all; it was completely dead when I tried to start it after hitting the ATM.
Originally Posted By: DuckRyder
Originally Posted By: pbm
Replacing a 3.5 year old battery that shows no sign of problems is silly, IMO.
It is worse than silly.
Not nearly as silly as you feel when it leaves you stranded. Batteries don’t always show signs the end is near.
I had a Mopar battery die in my 2 1/2 year old Dodge truck a long time ago. No warning at all; it was completely dead when I tried to start it after hitting the ATM.
maybe we should only discuss replacing an aftermarket battery after some time elapsed. the oem one seem to hold up better.mine included. bet if you buy a batter from a toyota dealer you get an aftermarket brand? johnson controls etc. does anyone know?
Last edited:
- Status